The invention relates to a machine for filling cups with foodstuff. The machine introduces at least two product flows in the area of metering stations by means of their filling nozzles, respectively, into the supplied cups, wherein in the area of at least one metering module comprising the filling nozzle a controlled filling process can be performed.
Known machines for filling cups are provided with constructions in the form of cup filling devices (DE 29512 257 U1; DE 197 35 621 C2; DE 197 58 543 A1) wherein a cup supplied to be filled can be filled selectively with two different product flows by means of filling nozzles in the form of a twin filling tube. In the area of the metering stations, only one cup support in the form of a lifting plate can be used for the filling process which cup support is preadjusted by guide parts to perform tilting and/or lifting movements. The lifting plate is moved with the empty cup into an upper position toward the multi-metering device that itself is stationary. According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,698 the cups are supplied sequentially to a pre-metering device and a main metering device so that a fruit paste and yogurt can be introduced on top one another into the cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,964,285 B1 discloses filling of cups with pasty foodstuff wherein only the quantity to be filled in can be delivered by program control by means of nozzles interacting with servo motors, wherein the quantity to be filled in is conveyed at high speed into the cups moveable into a position underneath the nozzles. In EP 1 602 579 A1 the cups are lifted toward a nozzle arrangement and rotated when lowered so that for distribution of the product a complex cup support is required. In a filling process according to FR 2 708 563 A1, nozzles having several channels are utilized at a metering station, respectively, and in a cup filling process according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,955 a product is optimally distributed in the interior of the cup by moving the cup.